Brandon Christensen's 'Z' Brings An Imagined Horror To Life: A Review and Interview
Z’ is the latest phantom-ridden partnership between Shudder and director Brandon Christensen (Still/Born). The innocence surrounding son Joshua (Jett Klyne) and his new imaginary friend decays into a series of frightening and mysterious accidents as his mother (Keegan Connor Tracy, Bates Motel) uncovers the haunting history of ‘Z’. Sean Rogerson (Grave Encounters, Underworld: Evolution) rounds out the cast as Kevin, patriarch of the Parsons family.
The film has sleight of hand elements woven within its fabric. It lures you in with the belief that you’re dealing with another typical imaginary-friend-is-a-demon tropefest. That’s certainly what I thought initially. I’m here to say I was pleasantly surprised by ‘Z’ and effect the “zoom-out” nature of the narrative. Just when you think you have the plot nailed down, Christensen changes the game. The story matures and morphs into a tale of generational terror and personal sacrifice appropriate for a Mother’s Day release.
As we discuss with Christensen himself later, the use of “jump scare” tactics is usually frowned upon and associated with cheapness, but ‘Z’ does it in a way that is tasteful and effective. No intense, unnecessary music shifts and no random loud noises, just a clever use of atmosphere and genuine viewer engagement. ‘Z’ debuts on Shudder on May 7th, I’d recommend you give it a view this Mother’s Day Weekend, and read on to check out our interview with director Brandon Christensen!
Justin: As the haunted history of 'Z' unfolds, the story shifts from yet another imaginary-friend-turned-demon plot into something deeper and personal. This makes me wonder if you're speaking from childhood experience! Did you have any strange experiences or unseen friendships as a kid?
Brandon Christensen: While I fortunately had no imaginary friend (That I remember, maybe it’s still waiting for me to remember…), I did really struggle with anxiety around my 10th birthday. I was scared to be alone, I was scared to go to school, I was scared to do anything. It took me to a child’s therapists office, much like the one that Josh went into, and I played a board game much like that one. It was a year-long phase in my life that eventually played itself out, but it wreaked havoc on my parents sanity and as fast as it came, it went away. That experience helped bring some of myself into Z, with parents unable to understand how to cope with something like this. When it’s not something you can explain, or teach away, and you become ostracized by your community - what do you do?
That was a big jumping off point for the story.
Justin: The overuse of jumpscares can be a cheap maneuver, however, 'Z' has some of the most well-executed 'Holy crap!" moments in recent memory. Daniels's accident comes to mind. How difficult is it to insert these expected scare moments while being innovative with your approach and timing?
Brandon Christensen:The term ‘jump scare’ has kind of become synonymous with ‘cheap’. While they’re fun, oftentimes they can be used as a crutch. I’ve done it before, less so on this than Still/Born, but you want to have these moments that keep the viewer on the edge of their toes unsure of what to expect going forward. Sometimes it’s over telegraphed, sometimes it’s cheap because there’s no telegraphing at all, and sometimes they can just be shocking.
I’ve found that when the film ends, there’s always one or two moments that stick with you. Regardless of your overall opinion of the film, if there’s that one “HOLY CRAP” moment - it can help the audience remember the film more.
[NOTE: SPOILERS FOLLOW]
It’s always a heavy balance, and to me they work best in contrast with what’s going on. With the Daniel scene, we have a mother trying to explain to her friend (and herself) why she doesn’t understand what is happening with her son. The audience is engaged in something, while in the background they know that Josh went upstairs to play with Daniel. And this conversation is playing out straight, these two friends are repairing their fractured relationship by coming to an understanding that Josh is just going through a phase.
Then, you drop the bomb.
The idea of a kid going over a banister has been with Z from the very inception of the film. As a parent, that’s a total primary fear you have any time you see your kid playing near them. You just expect them to jump over the railing and injure themselves. So when trying to come up with ideas of horrific things to do to these people, that was always at the top of the list. I’m glad it works!
Justin: 'Z' premieres on Shudder on Mother's Day weekend, and there couldn't be a more appropriate debut date. Did you have any input on the release date due to the nature of the story?
Brandon Christensen: When we released Still/Born in 2018, Shudder acquired the streaming rights and Vertical Entertainment had the VOD/theatrical. The film came out in February, and with the timing of how streaming works, it just happened to fall to Shudder in May. And, brilliantly enough, they opted to tie it to Mother’s Day and pushed their advertising in that direction.
When they acquired Z as a Shudder Original, I think they saw the success they had with Still/Born in that window and decided to try it again. Considering the subject matter, terrorizing a family - especially the mother, it seems like a wonderful opportunity. I’m excited to see how it does this time. Maybe they can push a Z and Still/Born double feature. I need one more to complete the Mama Trauma trilogy.
Justin: Supernatural, Final Destination 2, and Bates Motel are but a few of the horror sets actress Keegan Connor Tracy has been involved in. She must have been quite an asset to have as your lead, can you speak a bit on how it was working with her and her performance in 'Z’?
Brandon Christensen: Landing Keegan was so important. This is by no means an easy script, and considering our budget level, not a comfortable shoot for anyone. It’s long days, no trailers, all hands on deck filmmaking - and Keegan was game from day one. Since she’s in 98% of the film, she was always there, and always working. It set a great tone for the production.
The way the film was scheduled, we were able to shoot the last act of the film at the end of our shoot. We basically had four days alone in that house, with a crew that was super dialed in, and it allowed us to have a lot of fun. Since we are dealing with something so insane, it gave us a chance to play around a bit - find the scene, and let her performance mutate the way we needed it to. Taking her character, who was clean and polished to start, and put her through hell - it was a blast.
When you go into something like this, you hope to come out of it at the other end with the film finished - but also strong relationships with those that you worked with. That’s always been something that I’ve been fascinated by. Even though it’s such a short time together, the bonds created on set are everlasting.
Justin: 2017's Still/Born appeared on Shudder as well, making 'Z' your second dance with the spook-filled service. Are there plans for a potential third project?
Brandon Christensen: I’m currently on the second draft of a new project right now. Unfortunately, I can’t say much about it beyond it’s not the third Mama Trauma film. Not yet. Maybe the next one! I’m hoping to shoot right away when this COVID-19 stuff is over. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun!
We would like to thank Mr. Christensen for taking the time to chat with us, and you can check out of his home-made horror films he’s made with his children during quarantine here.
‘Z’ gets a 7/10 on the Madness Meter!
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